Question

Why do antibiotics only affect bacteria?

Answer 1

Antibiotics:

1. Antibiotics are medicines that slow down the growth of bacteria and destroy them.
2. Antibiotics function by destroying the cell wall of bacteria or targeting the machinery of the growth of bacteria.
3. Cells of humans do not synthesize, nor need peptidoglycan.
4. Antibiotics (Penicillin) prevent the transpeptidation or final cross-linking step in the assembly of this macromolecule.
5. As a result, the delicate cell wall bursts hence causing the bacterium to be destroyed.
6. Human hosts remain unharmed as penicillin does not interrupt any such biochemical process activity that occurs in the human body.